The present invention relates to cut guides for resecting the end of a bone and, more particularly, adjustable cut guides for resecting the end of a bone.
Orthopedic procedures for the replacement of all, or a portion of, a patient's joint typically require resecting (cutting) and reshaping of the bones of the joint. For instance, total knee replacement procedures typically involve resecting the distal end of the femur and the proximal end of the tibia prior to implanting the prosthesis components. Resecting the distal end of the femur often involves making several cuts of the distal end of the femur including a distal cut, an anterior cut, a posterior cut, an anterior chamfer cut, and a posterior chamfer cut. The depth, angle and position of these cuts may depend on a variety of factors including the size of the prosthetic component, size of the patient's knee, and conditions of the patient's bone. In addition, the presentation of the patient's knee may indicate the need for adjustments for varus, valgus, flexion, extension, and rotation of the knee. Such adjustments may also affect the depth, angle and position of the cuts.
Cut guides have been developed to guide the saw and achieve the proper angle and position of these cuts. Conventional cut guides are often in the form of blocks having permanently positioned slots therein for receiving and guiding the saw. Different sized cut guide blocks are provided to correspond to different sized prostheses and to achieve the different cuts. In addition, some cut guide blocks require additional cut accessories to be mounted thereon to provide additional necessary guide slots. Accordingly, making the necessary cuts of the distal end of the femur may require the installation and assembly of multiple cut guide blocks and accessories. In addition, the location and angle of the slots cannot be adjusted once the block is mounted on the femur. Accordingly, it may be challenging to make adjustments in the depth, angle and position of the cuts for varus, valgus, flexion, extension, and rotation of the knee
There is a need for an adjustable cut guide that can be used to guide a saw in making the distal, anterior, posterior and chamfer cuts.